Stories
by KnightMysterio
Summary: It's been ten years since Celestia was forced to exile Nightmare Moon, and her guilt has only grown ever since. Dealing with greedy nobles hasn't helped at all. So she takes a few days off, keeping only her duties of maintaining the night and the day, and in so doing finds out the true nature of the world... and she also experiences something that makes her able to smile once mor


_**Stories**_

_**by Jonathan "KnightMysterio" Spires**_

_All characters not original copyrighted to their individual owners and used for non-profit amusement reasons. All original characters are mine so no stealz, plz. Constructive criticism, comments, and especially compliments are appreciated. _

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_Canterlot Castle..._

_House of Lords..._

_10 years after Nightmare Moon..._

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Princess Celestia sat on her throne, sighing wearily. Around her, stuffy unicorns, argued amongst themselves over paltry things as well as ways to increase their already stupidly vast holdings. She normally tried to put up with them, as their resources could be manipulated into doing actual good. Their disdain for certain aspects of 'modern' education left them vulnerable to word games from Celestia guiding them onto the right path.

Today, however, she had the horrible sinking feeling that she'd be getting nothing done at all today. She glanced over at the sun, grimacing. It wasn't even lunch yet, high noon still two hours away, and she wanted to get out of here. Her patience was wearing very thin.

Her head hurt so badly. She had managed to keep the tribes from turning on each other after... after her sister's fall from grace... She closed her eyes, letting the tears fall silently. Even after a decade it still hurt. Even after all that time, the thought of losing her sister, of how badly she had failed her, it still was an icy spike of agony in her heart.

Even worse, it was Nightmare Night. An accursed day that her subjects had chosen to celebrate, commemorating her sister's final defeat and subsequent exile. The anniversary of the day Eternal Night was averted. All this day was to Celestia was a reminder of the fact that she betrayed her sister, forcing the Elements of Harmony to do her bidding. She hadn't even given them a command beyond 'Stop her,' the Elements interpreting her wishes in a way she never expected.

Celestia sighed, staring out over the fledgling city of Canterlot. Only a decade had passed, but it was growing at record speeds. She allowed herself a smile, only to lose it almost immediately when she noticed only one of the nobles was speaking now, elucidating some rather absurd plan.

She shook her head, turning back to the lordly unicorn and sighing, letting him finish.

"...And that is why taxes must be LOWERED on those with the highest financial holdings," finished the unicorn who was speaking, a fat, golden-maned oaf with a thick mustache.

Celestia stared at him. "...Lower taxes on those with the most," she said softly.

The lordly unicorn nodded. "Indeed! Your majesty, the plan I have just outlined..."

"Stop. Just stop. If the crown LOWERS taxes on the highest earners," Celestia said, her eyes narrowing, "where would the difference come from?"

"From the serfs, obviously," said the lordly unicorn. "Your majesty, with this new economic modification, the serf tribes will be forced to produce even more than they usually do, resulting in a greater boon in both production and trade..."

"No, Lord Pennywroth," Celestia said, sighing.

"I beg your pardon?" the lordly unicorn said, startled.

"Your plan is illogical, and benefits nopony but the rich. I will not see those who have less be burdened with the greed of those who have more."

Lord Pennywroth's mustache bristled. Celestia imagined that thick, garish worm of facial hair turning into a terrier puppy, jumping off of his face, and barking at her. "Your Majesty," Lord Pennywroth said, forcing a smile on his face. "I'm certain that if you'll just take a moment to actually think about my proposal..."

"And now you're condescending to me. You dare insult the Sun to her face?" Celestia said, her voice holding a dangerous tone to it, her eyes glowing slightly.

Lord Pennywroth gulped, glancing around as his comrades discreetly moved away from him. "I... I mean no disrespect, my lady, I..."

"Respect. I know how you treat the mares in your employ, Lord Pennywroth," Celestia said, scowling. "I will haves words with you on 'respect' later. As for your 'economic modification,' it's stupid and insults the intelligence of anyone listening to it. Not only will I not lower taxes on those in the so-called 'upper classes,' I am going to raise them. If only to spite you for trying to make me listen to such a STUPID idea."

There was an outburst of protest from the gathered nobles. "SILENCE!" Celestia barked in the Royal Canterlot Tone. "This meeting is over. I have no patience for greedy wastrels today. Not today. Get out." She rubbed a temple with her hoof, sighing.

Lord Pennywroth sputtered indignantly, barely noticing the glares from his fellow nobles as they started to file out of the hall, mumbling under their breath. "You... YOU CAN'T DO THIS! You're just a silly m..." Pennywroth's guard quickly clapped a hoof over his lord's mouth. The lordly unicorn would later be very grateful that his guard stopped him from finishing that sentence.

Celestia turned ever so slowly, focusing her intense gaze directly on Lord Pennywroth. "Push me again, Pennywroth. Push me just ONE. MORE. TIME," she said, her eyes glowing menacingly.

Pennywroth literally ran over his peers as he fled the hall.

Celestia sighed, getting up from her throne and leaving the hall, her golden-armored Captain of the Guard following behind her. "I grow weary of these fools, Sir Blueblood..."

The white-coated, blond-maned unicorn chuckled. His muscular frame pulsed against his armor with each step as he followed behind his ruler. "True, true, but they do serve their purpose," he said.

Celestia scowled. "And what's that?"

"To make you look good by comparison," Blueblood said, smirking.

Celestia just shook her head, chuckling a little. Blueblood grinned. "In all seriousness, their money and jewels help pay for resources that Equestria needs. We're still a growing nation," he said.

"Jewels, pfah," Celestia grumped. "Dragon kibble. Shiny rocks, that's all they are..."

"...Aaaand judging by your tone of voice," Blueblood guessed, wincing. "Lady Ruby Quartz tried to get you into her little 'lady's club' sometime today, presumably to celebrate Nightmare Night."

"That mare is one of the most superficial creatures I have ever encountered in my life," Celestia said. "A decade. It's been a decade since my sister's fall. You'd think that ponies would learn by now that I want little to do with a holiday celebrating it."

Sir Blueblood frowned, giving her a worried look. "They're not celebrating your sister's defeat, my lady," he said. "They're celebrating the fact that they are not dying in the endless cold of an Eternal Night."

Celestia shook her head. "To me, this miserable day will always be naught but a reminder of my own foolishness..." she said, mainly to herself. "Of my own incompetence."

Blueblood looked shocked. "Incompetent? You?"

"I destroyed the Elements of Harmony by forcing them to attack my sister," Celestia said softly. "They fought against me, but I bent them to my will. I betrayed my sister, my greatest friend. I cruelly exiled her to the moon, selfishly trying to protect myself instead of trying to help her. I lied to myself, thinking I was saving her, and have been unable to laugh for ten years since. And now I can barely keep greedy nobles in line. I have to resort to brutality just to get them to behave."

Sir Blueblood shook his head, unable to wrap his mind around the idea that his leader, his savior, seemed to hate herself. "Your Majesty... you brought the sun back to us. You keep us warm and safe. You are the bringer of life! There are even those amongst the guard that suggest that you bring about Eternal Day!"

"Then they are fools!" Celestia shouted, whilring on Sir Blueblood, the unicorn pushed back by the force of her exclamation. "While Eternal Night would bring death by ice, Eternal Day would bring death by fire! Would you have the sun never set, drying up the fields and rivers? Would you watch as your children die of heat stroke, your homes catching fire at the slightest spark?! _Do you want to see everything you love turned to ashes!?_"

Celestia's mane and tail were flaring, burning with white hot heat. Sir Blueblood whimpered, scrabbling away. "Forgive me, your Highness!" he pleaded. "I... we did not think of such things... I mean..."

"Of that I am certain," Celestia snapped.

"I-I-I meant no disrespect!" Sir Blueblood stammered, quivering in fear.

Celestia chuckled bitterly, her mane and tail returning to normal. The ground around her was charred, the temperature in the hall having raised greatly, leaving Sir Blueblood sweating. "From you, Sir Blueblood, I believe such a claim," she said softly. She looked in the direction the nobles had gone, and shook her head, coming to a decision.

"I am taking a few days respite from these fools," she said. "I will continue to raise and lower the sun and moon, but no matters of state will be conducted until my return. I do not trust them."

Sir Blueblood was startled. Celestia, taking a vacation? She'd never done so in the decade since her sister's defeat and exile, and the ages before that. "I... your Highness?"

Celestia turned and started to walk away. "I leave management of city affairs to you and the Royal Guard," she said. "Keep the House of Lords from doing anything too stupid while I'm gone."

Sir Blueblood frowned. "Yes, my Lady," he said, unable to formulate a plan to convince her to stay. "When will you return?"

"When the urge to murder them all has passed," Celestia said softly, trotting out of the hall. "If it is an emergency, I will most likely be at our old castle in the Everfree forest, or at the cavern of the Tree of Harmony."

Sir Blueblood's eyes widened. "My lady, that forest is wild, uncontrollable!" he said, alarmed. "Full of wild weather and dangerous beasts!"

"If the beasts of Everfree desire to commit suicide so much that they attack me, then they are free to do so," Celestia said bitterly, vanishing in a swirl of fire.

Sir Blueblood shook his head, sighing. He then ran off to inform the rest of the Guard of what happened.

"Be safe, my lady..." he said softly.

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_Everfree Forest..._

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Celestia appeared deep within the forest, near the caverns leading to the Tree of Harmony. She stared across the bridge, at the mist-filled ruin of her former castle. Sighing, she looked up to the sky, wishing she could lower the sun and see her sister's moon.

Shaking her head, she started to cross the bridge. The sounds of the forest surrounded her, the chirping of birds, the low buzz of insects, and the occasional growl of a large predator reaching her ears. The forest itself was lush and green, a vibrant color that even the finest tailors in Canterlot could never match.

Celestia allowed herself a small smile. She always did prefer Everfree to Canterlot. But oh, how her subjects adored the 'majesty' of living in a mountain castle city balanced precariously on a slope. She shook her head, casting the thought from her head.

She had plenty of time to think about those fools. This time was for her.

As she walked on, though, she heard an odd creaking. She started to look down, only for one of the boards of the bridge to give way under her weight. She managed to step aside before her leg fell through, frowning.

"Perhaps I do need to cut back on the fine cakes..." she said softly. She spread her wings, and prepared to fly off, when she heard the holding ropes on one end of the bridge start to fray and snap. She took the the air and started to lift off, not wanting to be on the bridge when it fell. As she tried to achieve liftoff, though, she felt something tugging on her leg.

Looking down, she gaped in shock. A coil of rope from the bridge had wrapped around her leg, holding it fast. She flared her horn to try and burn away the offending rope, but before she could, the heavy wooden bridge started to fall, dragging her down with it.

She flailed comically, trying to escape, but the bridge swung her down into the gorge, the rope around her leg coming unwrapped and sending her crashing through a cliff face, tumbling through a tunnel into a large chamber. She crashed into a pillar, landing upside down, covered in dust.

"Wonderous," Celestia muttered, blowing a lock of mane out of her face. She righted herself and stood up, looking around the chamber. For the first time, she saw that the chamber was lit, glowing lanterns illuminating several smaller caverns.

But what was in those caverns left Celestia confused beyond all measure.

"What... what is this place?" she said softly, looking around. In the center of the room was a sign, reading it aloud.

"'Feel free to play with anything here, and don't be afraid to make a mess. You may leave at any time, you simply may not take anything with you. You are safe here,'" she said.

Celestia frowned, and looked around. Some of the caves were smaller than the others. One held a small box baring an image of what looked like a potato with a silly face on it. In another was a small, pink stove with a larder filled with ingredients nearby. Several larger rooms contained small statues of bipedal creatures she had never seen before, some with colorful costumes. She wandered into the largest room, containing the smallest statues, each a mere three and a half inches high.

She frowned at the creatures. They were accompanied by several... she guessed they were kinds of chariots and sea-faring ships, along with strange birds of some kind, but they looked like nothing she had ever seen before. She guessed they were models of some kind of war machines, but they bore little resemblance to anything she knew.

Examining the strange little statues more, she realized that they were all arranged in factions. The ones in lighter colors on one side, rallied around a star-spangled and striped flag. The others, in darker colors, all bore in some fashion a symbol that looked vaguely like a cobra, usually in red.

She picked up one that looked like a leader, a man in regal garb with a metallic, featureless face. He was positioned on a small stand, carrying a sword and a small handheld weapon she didn't recognize. There was a name emblazoned on the stand.

"Cobra Commander..." she read, frowning. She looked over the statue, uncertain of what material it was made of. It wasn't metal, or wood... After a moment, she realized that the limbs of it could be moved freely. She experimented, moving Cobra Commander into different poses.

"Like a foal's doll," she said softly. She looked around, and thought of the sign. "Are these... are all of these children's toys?"

Starting to understand, she looked around the room again. "I see. These are toys. Two factions... But which is the evil one?" she said, mainly to herself.

She scanned the room again, noticing a large, square box at the end of the cavern. Trotting over to it, she looked it over curiously. "Hm..." she said, thinking aloud. She saw several buttons on the front of the device, the two most prominent being labeled Stop and Play.

Celestia smiled. "Well, this appears to be a place of play..." She reached out with a hoof and pressed the Play button.

"YO JOE!" screamed a blonde creature.

Celestia yelped, backing out of the cavern as fast as she could as a song began playing over the box, showing strange metal birds and soldiers fighting. After a moment, she composed herself, listening to the rest of the song.

"He'll fight for freedom, wherever there's trouble, G. is there!"

"G. ! A real American hero! G. is there!"

"It's G. against Cobra and Destro, fighting to save the day!"

"He never gives up, he's always there, fighting for freedom on land and air!"

Celestia slowly entered the cavern again, realizing that she wasn't in danger. And that several images on the screen bore resemblance to the dolls that lined the room.

"G.I. Joe is the code name for America's highly trained special mission force! It's purpose: to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world!" an authoritative voice explained as the song went into one last chorus.

"Hyu-man..." Celestia said softly. Is that what these strange bipedal creatures were? "Villains," she said softly, pointing to the cobra-themed dolls. "Heroes," she said, pointing to the brighter colored army of dolls. She found herself smiling. The box continued to show images, showing a story of G.I. Joe fighting Cobra.

Celestia smiled. "Oh, this is delightful!" she said, watching the box tell several stories. They were simplistic adventures, ending with G. winning every time, but exciting nevertheless. She began to understand the purpose of the weapons and vehicles, marveling at them, experimenting with posing some of the dolls, placing them in vehicles.

Her stomach growled, Celestia realizing that she had not eaten yet. "Was there not a stove amongst these toys?" she thought, heading out of the chamber. She pressed the Stop button on the box, heading out of the chamber. She went over to the chamber that had the pink stove in it, noticing a rope of some kind leading out from the device and going into the wall. She frowned, wondering at the purpose of it, and shrugged, deciding to ignore it.

She examined the stove, finding a small label on it. "Easy Bake Oven and Snack Center," she said. Next to it was a small book labeled 'instructions.' Celestia read it over curiously. "Hm... Oh, I see," she said, mentally translating some of the more complicated language into something she understood. "A small magic lantern inside the stove generates the heat to cook with. Clever."

She made herself several small cakes with it, and ate them as she examined the rest of the chambers. She first went to the strange potato creature, opening the box and levitating out everything inside.

She frowned. Instead of the completed potato creature, she found herself staring at a potato with arms, made of the same material as the G.I. Joe dolls and the small stove, along with several pieces. She looked at the box again, and at the pieces. Examining the long pegs on each piece and the holes on the potato, she realized that they went together.

"Ah, I see," she said. "I must assemble the creature myself." Clever, she thought. She began to put the pieces in, trying to assemble... she looked at the box again, getting the name of the creature. "Mr. Potato Head?" she said, smirking. "How appropriate."

She put the creature together, giving it eyes, a hat, a nose and mustache, shoes, and a toothy grin. She stared at Mr. Potato Head for a long moment, trying to figure out who it reminded her of... on a whim, she inverted the grin, spinning it upside down so it looked like it was frowning.

"Lord Pennywroth, you've never looked better," she said, blinking when she realized what she said. Before she even realized it, a chuckle was escaping her. It felt good, so she did it again, and again, until full blown joyous laughter filled the chamber.

"This is TRULY a joyous place!" Celestia said cheerfully. She felt no menace from anything here, just a simple innocence that was infectious, perking her curiosity at every angle. She set Mr. Potato Head down and trotted over to another cave, this one filled with odd-looking things that vaguely resembled weapons like she had seen on the G.I. Joe stories, although they looked like harmless toy versions. She fiddled around with one of the rifles for a moment, accidentally pulling the trigger with her magic and sending a rubber, plunger-headed dart flying across the cavern.

It struck Mr. Potato Head in the forehead, knocking him over.

Celestia stared for a moment, and began to giggle. "Oh no! Lord Pennywroth has been slain! Quick, find the assassin!" she joked, almost skipping out of the chamber and moving to the next one.

This chamber had several things it in. Clay, as well as two different types of building pieces, all of them labeled. "Play-Doh... Lincoln Logs... Tinkertoys?" she said. She grinned. "Building toys. Most excellent. I'll come back to this one," she said, moving on.

The next chamber featured more 'hyu-man' dolls, taller than the G. and all female. There were wigs and dresses and other clothes as well. They looked to be for 'hyu-mans,' but when Celestia touched the clothes either physically or with her magic, they changed to fit a pony.

She grinned. It felt good to smile after so long... "Well..." she said softly. "I don't see the harm in it."

She levitated a pink wig off of one of the stands, the fluffy thing lined with glitter trails, and placed it on her head, fitting some of her mane under it. Her mane was larger than the wig, though, so some of it still stuck out. She then levitated off of a hanger a gaudy pink jacket and a shirt with no sleeves. Both changed to fit Celestia as she put them on. She conjured a mirror to look at herself, and snickered at the gaudy attire.

As she got dressed, though, she noticed that this chamber had a black box in it, as the G.I. Joe chamber did. "Hm... Most interesting..." she said, pressing the Play button.

"Jem is truly outrageous! Truly truly truly outrageous!" sang the box as images of female humans in colorful garb appeared, singing light, airy songs.

Celestia giggled and sat down in the chamber, watching several of the adventures of this Jem and her musical group, the Holograms. These adventures were more different, based more on music, personal growth, and romance rather than the pure action of G.I. Joe. But to Celestia, they were no less enjoyable.

She felt a slight tugging at her horn. She looked to the exit of the cavern, her magic telling her it was time to make way for the night. She frowned, looking around the cavern, and sighed. "Have I really been here that long? Time has passed so quickly..." she said, mainly to herself. She trotted to the edge of the cavern, looking up into the sky.

Indeed, the sun had stopped its movement across the sky. Her magic flared, Celestia's entire body tingling as she tapped into the natural gravity of the planet itself as well as the gravity of the mighty sun, using one to push the other along. The sky slowly turned dark, a rainbow of warm colors appearing over the horizon as the planet's natural rotation turned its face away from the fiery orb as the sun was moved to the other side of the world, their own day starting.

She then concentrated, reaching out for the moon. She could feel it resisting her, feel it protesting her magic's touch, defying Celestia, knowing that she was not its true master. She silently begged the sphere's forgiveness, as she had for the past ten years, using the planet's gravity to push it into view across the night sky. The dark night lit up as the softly glowing rock moved into view. She then concentrated once more, willing the sky to open and allow the light of the distant stars to reach Equestria.

She shook her head. The sky looked so... basic. She had none of her sister's artistry with the night. Everything looked so... sloppy. "Well... I suppose I have the time now to get it right..."

She stared into sky a few moments more, contemplating whether or not she should go back to Canterlot. The thought of dealing with the nobles again, however, made her scowl. She turned back into the cave, heading into the chamber with all the toys. She said she'd be gone for a while, and she had performed her duties, so there would be little to worry about.

There was still too much to explore in this strange, lovely, innocent place.

She paused briefly as she noticed that the chamber with the Easy Bake Oven in it now had new supplies, including fresh fruit and vegetables. Attached to the fresh fruit was a small piece of parchment saying, "I'm not mad and you're in no danger. Feel free to keep enjoying this place."

The note was reassuring, but to be safe, she did a quick magical scan of the new food. Finding no poisons or enchantments, she made herself some more small cakes to eat, adding some of the fruit to it. A single bite, and she began to relax again, looking around the chamber for more things to play with.

Another wide chamber, as big as the G.I. Joe chamber, caught her eye. She entered it, finding it filled with strange bipedal dolls, many of them made of metal. She looked them over curiously. There was again a theme of factions, those with a crown-like mark on one side, those with a shield-like mark on the other.

"Odd... some kind of golem, or another type of construct?" she said, examining them. Those on the side with the crown symbol tended to have wings, while those on the shield symbol side tended to have wheels in various places on their bodies. She picked up one of them, a large creature with a red body and blue helmet, hands, and boots, heels adorning his boots.

She looked into the eyes of the red and blue creature. For a doll, its eyes seemed so very, very sad...

_Why? Why can there be no peace in our stories? _whispered a voice in her head. Celestia shook her head, wondering where the thought came from. She noticed a black box, glancing back and forth from the doll and the box. Gently, she reached out and pressed the Play button.

"Transformers! More than meets the eye!"

"Transformers! Robots in disguise!"

"Autobots wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons!"

As Celestia watched, the constructs changed back and forth between things she only vaguely recognized and their bipedal forms. She looked over to dolls, and nodding, understood. "I see now. They change back and forth between conveyances and their bipedal states." She looked over the doll she was holding, whom the stories on the box identified as Optimus Prime, and eventually figured out how to change him into his conveyance form.

She watched the adventures of the Transformers, smiling softly. These, like G.I. Joe, were more action oriented. The brave, noble Autobots fought the vicious Decepticons, led by the villainous Megatron. She laughed at Starscream's treasonous antics, and felt a pang of sympathy for the one called Beachcomber, one of the adventures showing a beautiful forest grove he had become fond of get destroyed by the war between the two factions.

"So many wondrous adventures," she thought, having idly been transforming some of the dolls back and forth between vehicle and robot form. Jets, trains, and cars surrounded her as she watched the stories of the Transformers.

_Why not make your own adventures? _whispered a voice in Celestia's ear. She looked around, startled, trying to find the source of the voice. Seeing nothing, though, she calmed down again, deciding that it must have been nothing. Surely there was nothing to harm her in this place.

But even as she thought that, another thought occurred to her. "Why not indeed?" she said softly, a smile crossing her face.

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_A few minutes later..._

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In the center of the chamber, two mighty armies clashed. On one side, G.I. Joe and the Autobots amassed their forces against the evil armies of Cobra and the Decepticons, the latter two holding Jem and her band hostage, trapped within a cage made of Lincoln Logs. Celestia held planes and helicopters in her magic, making them zoom over the battlefield.

"Give it up, Megatron!" Celestia said in an impersonation of Optimus Prime's voice. "You evil scheme to use the Holograms music to conquer the world will never succeed!" Giggling, she held up Megatron. "Ah, but with Cobra on my side, my wicked scheme cannot fail! With their mind control technology, we shall turn the Holograms into our instruments to bring this world under our control!"

She held up Duke and General Hawk, the two G.I. Joe leaders posed defiantly. She had General Hawk speak first. "Never! So long as there is breath in our bodies, we will never let your collective evils rule the world!" She then had Duke deliver the battle cry. "YO JOE!"

"Mwahaha!" Celestia had Cobra Commander say. "You won't defeat us that easily. For now you face the power of our greatest creation... the SUPER DRAGON!" Celestia levitated out a large dragon made from various colors of Play-Doh, ramming it through the Autobots and G.I. Joes.

"Blaagh! Oh no! Run away from the super dragon!" she said, giggling merrily. It felt good to simply relax and play, imagining this adventure. She had the clay dragon rampage a few moments more, before she brought out the largest of the Autobots, Omega Supreme.

"I AM OMEGA SUPREME," Celestia intoned, a mock-serious look on her face as she had the large robot lumber forward. "I WILL SAVE THE DAY." She then picked up General Hawk again. "Fliers! Back him up!" Celestia then had the clay dragon and Omega Supreme wrestle, while she made the G.I. Joe jets fly around the two, making 'pew pew pew' noises. Finally, Omega Supreme 'defeated' the clay dragon, tossing it over to the Decepticon and Cobra faction. It landed on Megatron, knocking him over.

Getting a silly idea, Celestia quickly picked up Starscream and had him yell, "MEGATRON IS DEAD! I AM LEADER OF THE DECEPTICONS!"

She then picked up Cobra Commander, having him smack the jet. "Really? Just... really? He was just knocked down."

She picked up Starscream again, making him act sheepish. "I can't help it, it's a reflex at this point..."

The solar alicorn giggled, picking up both Megatron and Starscream. She looked at Megatron, giving the evil leader doll a bemused look. "Why do you keep him around anyway?" She then lowered her voice to a growl, imitating Megatron. "For laughs, mostly. He's also cute and cuddly."

She then raised her voice, imitating Starscream's high rasp again. "I am not cute, I am an evil mastermind!" Celestia smirked. "Oh? I personally think you are quite cute, little flying machine," she said, poking the Starscream doll in the stomach. "Nooo, do not poke me!" she said in Starscream's voice. "I am power incarnate!"

Celestia laughed happily, setting the two dolls down and grinning. She picked up Duke again. "You have your monsters, but we have ours as well! Meet Mr. Arrange-O-Face!"

She then levitated over Mr. Potato Head, his face pieces in all the wrong places, and crashed him through the Cobra and Decepticon armies, making several of them flee in fear.

A wide smile was adorning Celestia's face as she played with the toys. There was a simple joy in what she was doing, one that was giving the alicorn some much needed relaxation. And she would savor every moment of it.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

_Much later..._

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Celestia played for hours, pausing only to maintain the cycle of day and night. She created several more grand adventures, bringing in dinosaur toys she found, as well as toys of a group of heroes who wore special masks and had transforming vehicles of their own. Nearby, several Light Brights, each one bearing pictures of her and her sister's Cutie Marks, or images of Celestia and her sister playing, glowed softly. The light pegs that made up each picture bathed the room in color. Finally, she had decided to rest.

She slept amongst a random assortment of toys, cuddling up with several large plush dogs she had found set up in a display that looked like a animal restraint pound. A content smile was on her face, her games giving her much needed stress relief. She felt good for the first time in years...

As she slept, a figure slowly trotted into the room, a warm, motherly smile on her face. She was a white-coated alicorn, like Celestia, only with a red mane and tail, her Cutie Mark that of a quill and scroll. "Oh, my dear Celestia... How you needed this..." she said softly.

Gently, she walked over and kissed Celestia on the cheek. Celestia blinked, startled awake. She looked up, spotting the other alicorn. She gasped, the other alicorn shaking her head with a sad smile. "Before you say anything, no, I am not an alicorn. This is simply how you perceive my form."

Celestia's eyes widened, and she gulped nervously. To talk of perception in that manner implied that the creature before her was so powerful, her true form was too majestic to be viewed by the eyes of lesser beings such as herself.

The other alicorn grinned. "Fear not," she said. "I am not mad at you. Indeed, watching your games have made me quite happy. It always pleases me to see my stories enjoyed."

Celestia stood up, looking around the cavern at the various playthings. "S-Stories? I... I don't understand. Who are you?" she asked, very confused. She was frightened, but something about this strange alicorn made it easy for her to relax, to be calm around.

_She reminds me of my mother, _Celestia thought, surprised. "Who are you?" she asked again.

"I have many names, my dear Celestia," the other alicorn said softly. "To the Transformers, I am called Vector Prime. But of all the names I have held over the eons, I think I prefer the name Keeper of Stories the best."

Celestia blinked. "Keeper of Stories..." she said softly. But then something else the Keeper said struck her. "Wait... to the Transformers? They... they are real?"

The Keeper nodded. "Yes. Every room that had a black box in it is a world where the stories shown on them are real. I am the one who keeps those stories alive. For worlds of stories, such as this one, shall never die so long as someone remembers them."

Celestia reared back a little, startled. "'Like this one?'" she almost shrieked, fearful.

"Yes," the Keeper said, smiling. "But do not worry! For although this world was born of the stories of Those Who Watch, it is real! Your flesh, your blood, your heart, your soul, it is all real!"

"I..." Celestia stammered, looking around at the toys in confusion. "This is... I don't understand..."

The Keeper smiled, picking up two toys, one from the G.I. Joes, the other from the masked heroes set. Celestia blinked, realizing that they both bore a similar appearance . "I was so worried that M.A.S.K. would be forgotten... but Those Who Watch... they revived the story! Granted, they merged the story with G.I. Joe, but still... The story lives on... You have no idea how much joy that brings me." She set the toys down, smiling at Celestia. "Come. There is one more room you must see."

Still worried, Celestia followed the Keeper, pulling off the wig, jacket, and shirt as she did, the two coming to a chamber Celestia hadn't noticed before. What she saw inside the chamber made her gasp, slowly backing away.

Ponies. Dolls of ponies of all colors, of all three tribes, filled the room. Each one bore its own Cutie Mark, each possessing long hair.

Celestia could only stare, stunned. "What is... I don't understand!"

"This world," the Keeper said, "is born of stories. It is my job to make sure that those stories never die. To make sure they are never forgotten." She smiled, stepping into the room and picking up one of the pony dolls, an Earth pony. She levitated a small brush out and began brushing the doll's hair. "This world... this world is getting new stories, Celestia. The fact that you are here is proof of that."

Tears of happiness were in the Keeper's eyes. "I was so afraid... The third iteration of the stories, they were so peaceful, so innocent, that Those That Watch weren't satisfied. I was so afraid that this world's stories would be left to stagnate. But one of Those That Watch... She's making new stories!" She set down the doll and hugged Celestia tightly. "Your world lives on!"

Celestia shook her head, so very confused and more than a little frightened. "I don't understand... my world, everything I know... it is just stories?!" she asked. "Am I... am I even real!?"

"But... but this doesn't make sense!" shouted a voice she recognized as Duke's from the adventure stories. She looked outside the cavern, and saw Duke confronting the Keeper, having taken the form of a human in high ranking military garb, outside the G.I. Joe chamber. "I can't be just a story, I'm flesh and blood real!"

"Vector Prime," said Optimus Prime's booming voice. Celestia's attention was drawn to the Transformers chamber, where Optimus Prime was angrily confronting an even larger purple and white robot wielding a massive sword.

"I have had this conversation countless times before," the Keeper said, coming up behind Celestia. The solar alicorn jumped, startled, the images of Duke, Optimus Prime, and the forms of the Keeper they confronted fading from view. "Always, someone from the stories finds their way here. Always they play, gaining a happiness that had left them back, always they learn the truth, and always they confront me with some variation of the question you have just asked." The Keeper smiled warmly. "And always my answer is the same: Just because a world is a story, doesn't mean that it's not REAL."

Celestia thought about what she said, and strangely, she found herself comforted by the Keeper's words. "So... so my world..." she said softly, "...it is real? It has meaning?"

The Keeper nuzzled her, smiling. "Yes. But you're here much earlier than I expected. Your world's new stories won't begin for quite a while, when on the longest day of the thousandth year since your sister's exile, the stars will aid in her escape. And a young, talented unicorn whom you've taken on as a personal student will find five wonderful friends that will help her restore the Elements of Harmony... and save your sister's soul."

Celestia stared at her, her eyes slowly widening. "M-My sister... My sister will be freed?" she said softly. "The Nightmare will be no more?"

The Keeper nodded. Joyous laughter erupted from Celestia's throat as she hugged the Keeper, happy tears flowing down her face. "My sister! Oh, Luna, you will be saved! Oh dearest Luna, we shall be reunited!"

"And to think," the Keeper said, "that is only the start of the stories. Such wonders await you, dear Celestia."

Celestia grinned widely. "I think... I think now I am ready to meet them," she said, tears of happiness still flowing.

The Keeper smiled. "I believe that you are," she said, motioning to the black box at the end of the pony chamber. "Would you like to see some of the old stories of your world?"

Celestia looked at the black box, at the room full of toy ponies which no longer seemed strange to her. "Yes..." Celestia said. "Yes, I would."

She and the Keeper went into the chamber, laying down beside one another. Almost absently, the Keeper picked up another pony doll and began to brush its hair, Celestia doing the same. The action was surprisingly relaxing. The Keeper, grinning, turned on the black box.

"My little pony, my little pony!

Isn't the world a happy place?

My little pony, my little pony!

Everywhere you go a smiling face!"

Celestia giggled at the silly little theme song. As they watched, she unconsciously leaned up against the Keeper's side, gently nuzzling her. The Keeper let her, humming contentedly. Finally, after watching several adventures, Celestia drifted off to sleep. The Keeper kissed her on the cheek, raising the sun for her.

"Sleep well, dear Celestia," she said. "Live not in despair, but in hope. For when the stories of this world begin anew, they shall start with a reunion." She sighed. "You've brought me great joy this day. My only regret... is that I will never see you again, not until the stories of this iteration of the world end..."

The Keeper's horn flashed, and Celestia vanished, reappearing in her bedroom. She blinked, yawning as she looked around in confusion. _I'm back in Canterlot..._ she thought, frowning. _Was it all just a happy dream?_

A unicorn maid entered the room, gasping and bowing when she saw Celestia. "F-Forgive me, my lady! I... I was not informed of your return!"

"My return..." Celestia said softly. "How long was I gone?"

"F-Four days, your Majesty!" the maid said, still bowing.

A warm, happy smile crossed Celestia's face. _So it WAS real... And that means... I will see my sister again one day..._ "Rise, my little pony," Celestia said, chuckling at how easily the phrase came to her. "I am not displeased."

The maid gulped nervously. "You... you are not?" she asked.

Celestia shook her head. "No. I simply teleported directly to my room," she said. _Mostly true, at any rate. The Keeper of Stories, bless her, must have sent me here when I fell asleep._ "Inform Sir Blueblood of my return, and that I would like to see him."

The maid nodded, scurrying away to look for Sir Blueblood. Celestia turned, staring out her window over the city of Canterlot. A strange contentment, a feeling of peace suffused her. With the knowledge that her sister would return one day, she felt a lightness in her heart, a happiness in just seeing everything around her that wouldn't go away.

"Redemption..." she said softly. "Not just for her, but for me as well... Oh, my precious student, whomever you are... You have no idea how much of a blessing you will be..."

After a few minutes, Sir Blueblood knocked on the door to her room. She bid him enter, the guard captain bowing to her as he did.

"My lady, it is good to see you return," he said, smiling. "The nobles were starting to get antsy."

"Yes, they would get worried if their status quo is broken, wouldn't they?" Celestia said, chuckling. Sir Blueblood was relieved to see that she was happy again, the warmth of her smile like the sun itself.

"I am glad to see you smile, Princess," he said, smiling himself. "You are more beautiful when you smile."

"Flatterer," Celestia teased. "But thank you, nevertheless. And... and I am happy now, yes." She looked out the window again. "I have hope again..."

"Princess?" Sir Blueblood said, confused. "What do you mean?"

Celestia smiled enigmatically. "Now, that would be telling. Life is a grand story, my little pony. One cannot simply give the ending away. But enough of that. What would you say if I told you I wanted to open a school? One where unicorns of exceptional talent of ALL classes could perfect their art?"

_**THE END...**_

_**...AND THE BEGINNING**_


End file.
